Bitter Candy
by VeryWithdrawn
Summary: You would think that living in a place like Konoha or in this world, for the matter would mean a lot of excitement and adventure. Oh yeah, but ONLY if you're a ninja...right? GaaraxOC
1. Chapter 1

You would think that living in a place like Konoha (or in this world, for the matter) would mean oodles of exciting contingency and adventure.

Oh yeah… but ONLY if you're a ninja…right?

Introduction

There are two types of people in this world. 99.9% of the people in said world earn a stable income living a life of perilous precipice (ninjas and the like), while the other .1% make a living from working their butts off in non-life threatening environments (some really scared civilians).

Ah yes, enter Jun Suzuki (that's me), a normal girl in a not-so-normal universe (of epic proportions!) One would think that a homely teenager, with no knowledge of ninjutsu, genjutsu, or whatever-jutsu, wouldn't be able to survive in this hectic jungle called "Life" (not to mention "Life" is filled with really, really sharp and pointy things). However, through buckets of sweat and tears, I've managed to make a living and endure "Life."

Here's the deal, I'm considered as your everyday AVERAGE girl.

No, I'm not a ninja.

No, I'm not some prodigy from some powerful clan.

No, I do not have some rabid, homicidal, spiritual animal sealed inside of me.

And no, I did not have some tragic past where my parents died in some freak ninja accident.

They're perfectly fine.

Speaking of Mom and Dad, my parents aren't ninjas either. Oh no, they're far from it. The usual shuriken and kunai are replaced with mackerel and tuna. That's right, we own a fish stand and a pretty humble one at that. Since selling fish at a practically dilapidated stand doesn't exactly bring in the money to pay the bills, I decided to help out my parents by working a second job…as a maid in a maid café.

Sounds kitschy, doesn't it?

But working at a place like this has its rewards. If you look beneath the skirts, frills and lace, the place is gold mine, a one in a million. It brings in a ton of cash, the boss is decent, and the "Don't Touch the Maids" policy helps too.

And this was also the place where I met the best of friends a girl can have.

_A moment in time:_

"Jun! There're some customers and table three's open!" my boss, Melody, practically sang.

I came out of the kitchen in a clichéd maid's outfit.

"Sure thing Boss!" I grinned.

Melody narrowed her light-brown eyes and playfully informed her employer (me) that, "That's not the proper way to say things around here, Jun. You gotta be more cute! More charming! Be dainty! Be…blah blah blah"

"Uh… Boss?"

The eccentric 24-year old maid stopped her ranting (of all things cute and moe!).

"Yes, my dear?"

"The customers?"

Realization struck on her face like a swinging log. And damn was it funny.

"Oh my! Then go seat them now! Hurry Jun!"

I snickered as I strolled past her, notepad in hand. I have the most entertaining boss in all of Konoha, I swear.

Greeting customers at a maid café is slightly different than at a normal café. Usually, the horde of tea (and moe!) loving pedestrians would come in and we would bow and say…

"Welcome home masters and mistresses!"

(Sounds corny, but it works.)

And today was no exception.

"Welcome masters and mistresses! Sorry for the wait, I'll lead you to your table now!"

I analyzed the group of young ninjas standing before me. Besides the fact that one of them was giggling and acting all "cooey-cooey," they were pretty normal looking.

…

That is, if "normal" fell into the category of bubble-gum hair, a chicken's ass, and a horrendously orange jumpsuit from a really crappy thrift store, then yes, they were pretty "normal."

"What can I get for you?" I plastered on the big, fat, stupid smile that I wore everyday to this place. This was the perfect time to silently evaluate the group, as I do to every ninja that walks in through those "cute, kitty-shaped" doors.

I judge books by their covers. Get over it.

The orange monstrosity looked over our ramen-less menu and said, " Do you have ramen?"

He's obviously an idiot.

After shaking my head 'No' and taking his alternative order, I turned over to the seemingly-emotionally-withdrawn chicken sitting beside him.

"Hn," he murmured. Did he want anything to drink with that?

Pinky was next. She wanted an order of our number-one, most popular dish.

"One order of the 'Diet Dangos' please."

Why would she want to diet when it looked as if she didn't even have enough body fat to function normally? Oh well, the customer's always right. ALWAYS.

Scribbling the orders into my (cute-kitty shaped) notebook, I smiled and told them that their food would come out shortly. After taking down a few other customers' requests, the chef (who absolutely loathes this themed café and only works here because it had good pay) dinged the (cute-kitty shaped) bell, signaling for me to get the food, to which I would eventually emerge from the kitchen with an armful of plates and cups. As I stumbled to the group of ninjas, some brat actually had the NERVE to call me a HAG and stick out his puny little leg (which I contemplated on breaking like a twig, had not for Melody's glare and the fact that I'm getting paid). The results were obvious. I tripped, I fell, food flies, and people laugh. (Melody's rant about the stereotype of the "clumsy-maid" being a turn-on turned out to be false.) Before I had a chance to release the "Wrath of Jun," I was eclipsed by a shadow and, surprise, surprise! It was Pinky. She had an expression on her face, one of pity and worry. I remember thinking, 'So, she's not some snobby, bimbo-of-a-ninja after all,' and decided that I liked this girl and her little groupie (Blondie was, at that very moment, giving the kid a super noogie, while Chicken Butt did nothing.)

"Thank you. You're really nice, you know that?" And I meant what said, too. I mean, in this day and age, you don't find many considerate kunoichi willingly helping a distressed girl cosplaying as a maid.

She seemed a bit taken back and said, "No problem. I'm Sakura, by the way. What's your name?"

Picking myself up and dusting away the breadcrumbs from my apron, I earnestly replied, "Jun Suzuki and it's a pleasure to meet you."

_The Present:_

It might seem that, by reading what I just wrote above, I dislike Melody's place (appropriately named "Kitty Café"). That isn't so. (The tone of annoyance is due to the fact that I'm one very sarcastic girl.) After all, because of this threshold, I met Sakura, Naruto, and Sasuke. And who's to say that some other fortuitous event wouldn't happen to me at this very place?

**Author's Note: Please Review! And thank you for reading this!**

**VeryWithdrawn**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Trout**

You can say that fish smells. You can say that selling fish in the morning, under a hot, blazing sun smells even worse. But what you can't badmouth are the people working behind the stand of rank, raw sushi.

Why?

Well, for one thing, it's very rude. The other is that it's ME, alongside my parents, working our behinds BEHIND the stall of funky funkiness. So don't go whispering to your buddy over there and pointing your little fingers at us and our "not-so-A-list" stand.

The stand may be crap, but our fish are fine (the smell is its natural, out-of-the-ocean aroma.)

The short monologue I had written above was what I had wanted to say to the man wearing a wife-beater, who was, at that moment, rudely eyeing the stand up and down, as if it were some show dog (which it's not!). It also didn't help that his chubby, but equally brusque chum was also imitating that same look. I opened my mouth to politely tell them to go away.

"Hey! If you don't want to buy the damn fish, then move your fat ass out of the way!"

…

Did that come out of MY mouth? Before I could even ponder the thought, I swiveled my head to see the familiar mass of bright yellow and perky pink, their glares directed toward the ignorant men. Ah, so they were the foul-mouthed culprits. Not exactly the knights in shining armor I had in mind, but hey, they have kunai.

I smiled. 'Naruto, you big-mouth.' The two men scowled and walked away, not bothering to say a word or two to the young ninjas that dared to tell them off (I wouldn't blame them though, considering the fact that, with their physique and all, they weren't ninjas.)

The grin on my face widened as I said my thanks to my wonderful friends.

"It's no problem. I just hate it when people give those kinds of looks, you know?" Naruto placed his hands behind his head and looked away. I nodded. He must have gotten the same sneers everyday.

Sakura, who was oblivious to the sudden change in the atmosphere, simply smiled. Although, I can understand why. She never had any traumatic experiences thrown into her action-filled (or action-less) shinobi life and is practically naïve. But who am I to say such things? I'm not a ninja.

"Jun, when's your break?" Sakura trilled, "Let's go get some lunch! I'm really hungry, Kakashi sensei's training was a pain in the ass today."

Naruto instantly replaced his initial sulkiness with the usual goofy attitude that I've come to love.

"Yes! Let's get some ramen!" He pumped his hands into the air.

A vein popped out of the lovely cherry blossom's head as she let out one of her jungle cry screeches.

"Naruto, you IDIOT! You can't just invite yourself to OUR lunch break!"

"But we came back from training together. Why can't I get lunch with you guys?"

"I know what happens when you eat ramen! Next thing I know, my wallet will be empty!"

I gave them an amused look as I mumbled something about "love birds." I can't really recall what, exactly. Sakura was shrieking in my ear about how they "ARE NOT LOVE BIRDS!" while I did my best to dodge her inhumane, PMSing strength. I'm guessing that the high-pitched frequency of her voice knocked out some of my memory (Was I suppose to get milk today?)

"Okay, okay. I getcha, Sakura. Love birds is a no-go. Now, can I close the stand so we can get some lunch? You may not know it, but having two intimidating fishermen glare at you for about a half and hour can wear you down pretty fast."

**Thesaltwaterroomthesaltwaterroom****Thesaltwaterroomthesaltwaterroom****Thesaltwaterroomthesaltwaterroom****Thesaltwaterroomthesaltwa:**

Even after all of Sakura's complaining and bitching, Naruto, in the end, had lunch with us. It wasn't that bad, really, if you minus the twenty-something bowls of beef ramen he skarfed down in less than fifteen minutes and the more than half empty wallet in my pocket (he forgot his coupon.)

As we stroll absentmindedly through some random place in the village (Sakura squealed about a lock of Sasuke's hair that she'd plucked earlier today, while Naruto preoccupied himself by patting his full belly), I noticed a strange disturbance in the force.

Was it the weather? Had it suddenly gone lousy? No, that wasn't it.

Was it cause by that old man standing in the corner, giving us disapproving glares? No, we get that everyday.

So then, what was it? What peculiar, deviating THING sends my senses to go haywire?

And then it hit me, like a moving square rock.

Said entity squirmed around, following our footsteps. I raised an eyebrow. This is not a normal occurrence in nature itself. I nudged Naruto's arm and he noticed the strange creature right away.

Besides its off appearance (that thing is clearly NOT a rock), the creature seemed to have taken an interest in Naruto. As his feet shuffled left, so did the critter. As Naruto pranced right, it followed suit.

He glared at it.

"THAT'S THE WORST DISGUISE EVER! THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS SQUARE ROCKS, IT'S COMPLETELY OBVIOUS!"

A child's voice could be heard beneath the poorly made costume.

"You're slick, boss. I guess that's why you're my greatest rival!"

'Greatest rival?' You mean this kid has more?

The box flushed with glaring light and a heavy 'BOOM' could be heard through our shut eyes. "I think we used too much gunpowder…"

Coughing, I opened an eyelid and realized who our surprise attackers were.

Darn you Konohamaru, I got dust in my eyes!

As the Third Hokage's (irritating) grandson and his friends introduced themselves (in a very Pokemon, team-rocket-esque way, mind you), I tuned out their Broadway-like voices. I didn't snap out of it until Konohamaru realized that I was standing behind Sakura.

"Hey, it's the maid!"

Ugh. It's bad enough that my first official meeting with him had gone awry (let's just say that it involved a spork, water in the face and a slap), but this annoying, little brat never calls me by my name. Before I had a chance to release the "Wrath of Jun" (deja vous, no?), Konohamaru turned his head and noticed Sakura. His eyes darted from her to Naruto, then from Naruto back to the confused kunoichi.

"Hey boss, who's that girl?" A look of utter confusion spread across his face. It was, however, instantly replaced by a disturbing expression.

"Wait, I get it. She's your…" he stuck out his pinky, the grin he bore showing sheer delight, "…girlfriend?"

Oh no.

Usually, I would scream, yell, and bitch at Konohamaru about why he chose Sakura instead of me in his game of "Who's Your Girlfriend," since I am, obviously, also a girl. I didn't. Instead, beads of sweat trailed down the side of my neck as I glance at Sakura (her mouth open agape) then to Naruto. A smart person would answer the question with the truth and escape the fury fists of Death itself (No, I am not Sakura Haruno's boyfriend, and I never will say nor promote the idea that I am Sakura Haruno's boyfriend, unless she says so.) However, being the idiot he is, Naruto chose to say, "Guess you can tell she's crazy about me, huh?"

I hadn't any time to tell Naruto to "Run for it," before angry knuckles bore into the blonde ninja's thick skull. After a few insults, Konohamaru received the same treatment.

Heaving out an exasperated sigh, I looked at the pummeled masses on the ground. "Men…"

Sakura stomped away from her victims (presumably to go home), when the child stood up from the ground, massaging the enormous bump on his head and said, "She's not even human! Did you see how wide her forehead was?!"

My eyes widened in fear as three immensely overused words popped into my head. 'Oh my God.'

The complete silence was unnerving and painful (similar to that of watching reruns of Gossip Girl on a Friday night). Sakura slowly creaked her head sideways to face the trembling, huddled group, her face distorted with bulging eyes and a frown. It would have been a comical scene, had not the fact that my life was on the line.

Suddenly, the ninja broke out into a sprint. We broke out into a run. Konohamaru, the initiator of our current demise, pulled every ounce of energy he had in his legs and dashed ahead of us…

Only to slam into a ninja.

The stranger raised his eyebrows at the frightened kid, as his dirty blonde haired comrade did the same. "Need something?"

Shit. It doesn't take a ninja's experience in the battle field to know that they're trouble.

**Author's comment: If you see anything that needs to be worked on, please give me some costructive criticism. Also, thank you for reading my fanfiction!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: Yeah, not mine. If it were, I would open up a maid café and wear frilly maid dresses for the rest of my life. **

**Chapter 3: Carp**

It was on a slow Monday night when Sakura, Ten Ten, and Ino lackadaisically lounged around at Kitty Café while informing me about their "bad day."

"Sasuke wouldn't go out with me"

"Gai sensei made us run two hundred laps around Konoha."

"I accidentally ate one of Chouji's chips. I think I've gained weight!" (You'll be happy to know that I have informed her that she was NOT fat.)

I couldn't help, but recall this certain day, as the boy in the cat costume and strange, purple make-up yanked Konohamaru up by his scarf. The poor kid was struggling to come out of the bully's grasp. His female companion just stared. Now, THIS was a bad day.

"That hurt, kid." The boy's grip on the scarf tightened, choking Konohamaru as he kicked his legs and flailed his arms. Ohhh shit. I panicked, not knowing what to do. I was a civilian for christ's sake!

"Naruto! Crazy Lady! Maid! Help!" he choked. (At times like these, I wonder if he actually knows my real name?)

"You have a maid?" Konohamaru's feline-captor's eyebrow arched, as I slowly and furtively slid behind Sakura. Naruto was too short and therefore, would not be able to cover my five feet self. Before Sakura or I could prevent said ninja from making a big fool out of himself, Naruto raised his arm and pointed his finger at the dangerous duo.

"Hey! If you don't let him go, I'll make you pay, DUMBASS!"

Although Naruto was literally acting out the definition of an idiot, I must say, his actions were bold and I respect that. Sakura, on the other hand, would not agree. She instantly had him in a headlock, squeezing the life out of him, while berating his previous action. It was a very comedic scene, but really…

This wasn't the time to be quarreling like a violent, married couple!

"Weaklings." the boy sneered, "You know what I do to little weaklings like you guys?" His large fist lifted into the air, a few inches away from Konohamaru's frightened face. His female companion stared incredulously.

"Kankuro, stop it. What if _he_ comes and sees this?"

The bully, whose name I'm sure of is "Kankuro," brushed off the comment and replied, "I'm just having a little fun, Temari."

The "Temari" chick sighed and mumbled something about "not wanting to be involved." (Way to go person who's suppose to be a responsible adult.)

Sakura quickly placed her hands in one of those mock surrender poses and tried to appease the situation by explaining how it was her fault that Konohamaru ran in sheer terror and accidentally bumped into the foreign ninja. I made an attempt to help her out.

" She's right, you know. Besides, what kind of an adult picks on little kids? "

His eyes narrowed as I suddenly realized that I had used the wrong choice of words. Before I'd a chance to take it back (and possibly grovel for mine and Konohamaru's life) Naruto sprinted towards Kankuro, fist aiming his face …

And failed.

How, exactly, was a bit of a confusion. No, it wasn't because Naruto's impulsive action was so obvious that even a Genin could deflect it (even though I'm sure that played a huge role to his downfall…idiot). One second, Naruto thrusts his fist towards Kankuro, and the next, the blonde was thrown back by some unknown force (freaky). Although, I did see Kankuro's fingers slightly move a bit…

"You shouldn't have rushed in like that, Naruto. Are you hurt?" I cast a worried glance as I helped my friend up from the dusty ground. He may be a ninja, but he's still a moron prone to trips to the hospital.

"Ninja don't get injured by small falls, Jun," my stupid friend retorted.

Oh Naruto, poor, poor Naruto…ninja or not, you still have a high chance of hurting yourself. What if your butt breaks and you have to be supported by an iron butt like the one used by the underwater character in Spongebob Square Pants?

Yes… falling is a very dangerous matter.

I was knocked out of my somewhat random and nonsensical thoughts when Kankuro proceeded to undermine the power of Konoha's ninjas (Told you not to rush in, Naruto).

What almost knocked the breath right out of me was that he was about to slam his fist right into…

"KONOHAMARU!"

I covered my eyes. The image of a child being beaten up by some caveman jackass would be too much to handle. I waited for his (and what would be eventually mine) imminent demise, but the sounds of pain and agony never came. I uncovered my eyes.

There was Kankuro, clutching his hand and glaring at Sasuke, who was tossing a gray pebble in his hand. No doubt my hair-do-conscience friend was aiming to look cool and macho, but his efforts only served to crack me up on the inside. Not on the outside, though. The current situation was too inappropriate.

Or was it? It certainly would be an ice breaker, although the possibility of a punch to the face was evident. I was knocked out of my somewhat random and nonsensical thoughts, yet again, when I noticed Kankuro reaching for a huge, heavily bandaged object strapped onto his back.

"No way, you're going to use Karasu?" said Temari. Judging by the tone of her voice, I'd say that this was probably a ninja taboo on Kankuro's part.

"Tch. They just piss me off." His hand clutched the worn gauze as a malicious smirk made it's way onto his face.

I couldn't help but feel that there was a huge possibility that whatever was raveled in those bandages was going to injure my friends and (most likely) kill me, had it not been for a raspy voice in the trees.

…

Wait, who-

"Stop, Kankuro." Said ninja was frozen, shock and fear clearly defining his face.

"You're an embarrassment to our village."

I looked to my right at the source of the voice. It was a kid around my age, I think. It was hard to tell with the raspy voice and all that eyeliner. Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura looked almost surprised as I was, and I assumed that something about such a surprising feat wasn't normal for ninjas (I mean, for them, popping out of no where is done on a regular basis.) Sand swirled around the mysterious ninja and he reappeared beside Kankuro and Temari.

I had a good look at raccoon boy and let me say this: that boy was beyond creepy. It wasn't because he was devoid of eyebrows or that a scarred kanji was etched onto his forehead (Talk about hardcore scar-toos), but because of the malicious aura emanating from his being. It was so strong that even Kankuro looked as if he was going to wet his pants-er-jumpsuit.

Yeah, that bad.

He started stammering and beads of sweat rolled down his cheek. "G-Gaara, t-this isn't what it looks like. They started it! I was just-"

Gaara glared at his companion. "Shut up, or I'll kill you."

Kankuro did just that. While any smart human being would have followed his example, I narrowed my eyes and opened my big mouth, the one that's always prone to getting me into trouble.

"What the hell?" I crossed my arms and glared at the insensitive twit. "Dude, that was rude and totally uncalled for."

Despite the fact that Kankuro did harass us, that was no way to treat any living being…or plant being, depending on the situation.

I must have said something out of line because Kankuro and Temari directed their horrified faces towards me, which, for some reason, was unnerving. What was really strange were the chills crawling up my neck. I looked back at Gaara.

Oh man, if looks could kill…

I noticed sand shifting from his gourd, and I could feel the same sensation I had when Kankuro was about to unwrap his mummified weapon: imminent death, for a defenseless and weak civilian, that is.

But no matter the person's ninja rank-or lack thereof- the impending doom was still there, and I had a feeling that neither The Golden Trio (harry potter reference, laugh laugh) nor The Golden Trio's mini-mes could help me. I opened my mouth to scream bloody murder.

"OHHHHHH JUNNNNNNNN!"

…What was that? I looked at my friends. They knew nothing.

My question was answered when a fluffy, pink poodle in a lolita dress floated down from the sky, umbrella in paw. That's right, a _poodle_. A _pink_ poodle, floating from the sky, no less. Even Melody's ways of contacting her employees were eccentric…a quick glance at my (awesome, poodle-less) ninja friends (and foes), and I face-palmed myself.

"JUUUUUUUUN." Oh how I hated that stupid falsetto voice. "MELODY SAYS THAT YOUR SHIFT STARTS EARLY TODAYYYYYY!"

And as quick as it came, the dog POPPED into a gazillion strings of pink confetti. My eye twitched at the flamboyant rendition of a Summoning jutsu.

I was quiet for a bit before I solemnly turned to the ninja group, my head bowed in embarrassment. It's not everyday that your eccentric boss would send an equally eccentric animal to be your personal reminder. "Hey -uh- I gotta head to work."

Sakura stared with disbelief and gestured towards the pink confetti littered on the ground. "Oh, really?"

"Hey, don't give me that, or else I won't give you discounts on the diet dangos anymore," I weakly retorted. Gaara's sand was immobile at this point. Even the homicidal creeper was stunned.

**Author's Note: Sorry this took so long (like wayyy too long). But I write only whenever I feel like it :) **


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: You know the stuff. **

**Chapter 4: Haute Chocolate**

When I reached the doors to "Kitty Café," I noticed that Melody was acting strange…well, more strange than usual. Not only was she humming some random song and twirling like there was no tomorrow, but also the usual black and white maid dress (Melody forbids her employees to call it a 'costume') was not there. Instead, she dawned a lacey, frilly, pink and white one-piece, complete with a frilly pink headdress; an ensemble that could only be described as "otaku craziness."

And like any other person, I just stared.

"…Melody…why're you wearing that?"

She turned her head and quirked it to the side, a small smile on her lips, "So, the early birdie heard my message, eh?"

I waved off her horrible attempt at a pun. She still didn't answer my question.

"Well, didn't you hear? The chuunin exams are coming up!" Add twirl here.

"That's funny, Mel. I didn't know you were interested with ninja stuff." I went to the back room to change into my uniform.

"Well, I'm not." She poked her cheek, a "cute tactic" we maids often do to attract customers with our moe. "Since Konoha was chosen as the site for the chuunin exams, our café's gonna be packed for a few weeks!"

"Oh yeah? What makes you think that?" I absentmindedly asked while tugging my white t-shirt over my head.

There was a short pause before Melody slammed her laced-up boots onto a stool (that came out of nowhere), placed one hand on her hip, and the other onto her cheek. A glint sparkled in her eye. " Because we posses the greatest weapon of them all! CUTENESS! AND ALL THINGS CUTE! AND NO ONE CAN RESIST OUR MOE CHARM! OH HO HO HO HO HO!" She continued to laugh as the cook rolled his eyes and continued to toss a kitty-shaped pancake on a pan.

I chuckled at her amusing reenactment of that one particular crazy girl in Ouran High School Host Club. With a boss like her, there's no doubt that this place is gonna be one hellava tourist attraction.

I finished tying an apron around my waist and headed into the dining room with a notepad in hand.

At night

Melody was right. It seemed as if every ninja in the freakin' world was here tonight. The entire restaurant was packed with Konoha ninja, Mist ninja, Grass ninja, Sand ninja, Cloud ninja…heck, there were even some head bands I didn't even recognize! (There was a group of ninja who had stars on their headbands. Nice people. Ordered our infamous "Haute Chocolate.")

I was finishing a customer's order when Mel told me to take table eleven. I approached the table and heard familiar voices, but didn't know who they were; my eyes were glued onto my notepad, rechecking orders. That is, until I heard:

"Oh ho, so you were the maid then?"

I glanced up and my eyes widened.

Oh. Crap. It was _them_. It was Kankuro and Temari. I didn't know what was worse, the fact that we had a little tussle earlier or that they were seeing me in a lacy dress with a heart apron, heavily decorated with bows and cats…not that I mind lacey dresses with cats. They're quite adorable, actually. It's just a little embarrassing to look frilly and girly in front of hard-core ninjas that dress anything but frilly and girly.

"Er…no-yeah." What an awkward reply. "That was me. What would you like to order master and mistress?"

The stupid sand ninjas snickered as I tried my best to not smack their faces.

But I won't, because they'll leave soon and I'm getting paid.

Temari wrinkled her nose as she skimmed the menu. "Is there anything on this menu that doesn't look like a retarded bunny?"

I twitched. This is going to be a long night.

Closing and locking up the cafe had always been a dreadful task to do, and tonight bounded no exceptions. It wasn't so much the manual labor that I detested, but the eerie atmosphere Kitty Café has when there are no customers to wait or a lunatic boss to poke fun. And the décor always looks creepier at night for some inexplicable reason…I know, I'm weak sauce.

As a part of my night-shift routine, I would go out to dump the trash. This would usually take me about a minute or two, but a lone figure crouched on the roof of the building, across from the café, caught my eye.

'Who's that?' I murmured.

Upon closer inspection (I squinted really, really hard), I immediately recognized the messy maroon hair and dark-rimmed eyes. Why would he be out at this time? It was a cold night, and I assumed that he would be too, what with the way was his arms were wrapped around his knees.

The icy wind nipped my face as I gripped the collar of my brown, wool jacket, a horrendous choice to drape over "Kitty Café's" uniform. It was then that I started to feel…bad. Not because my ensemble resembled that of road kill trimmed with lace. Here I was, in a warm, wool jacket, while Gaara was in nothing but a short-sleeve, fishnet, and pants. He may have had the distinct aura to kill me a while ago, but my conscious was telling me, NAGGING me to at least give him a coat or something. I furrowed my eyebrows. 'Wait, this guy almost tried to _kill_ me this morning. If anything, I should just let him freeze to death!' I turned to go back inside.

But before doing so, I glanced at the lone figure on the roof.

…Sigh. Maybe some hot chocolate would do him some good.

I ran back inside, flicked on the kitchen lights, and grabbed the thermos of hot chocolate that I'd initially planned to bring home. I poured the sweet smelling concoction into a pink mug, drizzled a bit of caramel, and wrapped it with foil. There. That should do it.

I walked towards the building (not before locking up the café) and up the flight of stairs. It was quite an old building. Creaks could be heard every time my foot connected with the almost-rotten wood.

And Gaara was just behind the door of this creepy building…how fabulously apropos.

'Alright, I can do this. I'm just giving the guy some cocoa, no big deal. He won't kill me for that.' (HAH!)

As my hand turned the rusty doorknob, I could feel the rapid beating of my heart against the chest.

And as chocolate-brown eyes met with teal ones, the intimidating aura rose again. I imitated Sakura and quickly shot my hands up in mock surrender, the cocoa in the pink mug slightly swishing against the interior. I realized, what the hell was I suppose to say to a guy who, judging by the killer atmosphere he was emitting, wants to probably maim my face right now?

"Hey-uh- Gaara." Okay, nice start. "I was taking out the trash and I couldn't help but notice that you looked a little cold up here, not that I was a creeper or anything… I mean you were kinda hard to miss cause um… er…cause of your hair and all…that is, um…" At this point, I just trailed off and proceeded to stare at the ground. Real smooth, Jun.

I could feel his eyes narrowing into slits. "Er…here's some hot chocolate." I placed the girly cup on a box that was conveniently lying on the ground to my right (as if some divine force knew of my dilemma). I was afraid I to go up to Gaara himself, an impossible feat for me to do at this state of my mentality.

"I know the mug's pink, but it was the only one in the cafe that's mine. Mel doesn't permit us to bring hers outside the café."

I gathered enough courage to look up, and was stunned with the look on his face. The glare that painted his face a second ago was replaced by one of pure and utter surprise. Course, it would've been nice to see a nice smile or something, but I assumed that would have been too out-of-character.

"When you're done with it, just leave the mug here. I'll come and pick it up tomorrow."

As I turned and left with a "See ya," I was pleased with myself.

And in some naïve, Utopian Complex state, I believed that I'd struck a chord with Gaara, believed that my small gesture of kindness had left him with the warm, fuzzy feeling you get when a friend bakes you cookies from scratch. Believed that Melody's sweet concoction would have the same effect on him as did her other customers when they first tasted it upon their lips.

What I didn't believe, however, were the scattered remnants of my pink mug, sticky with untouched hot chocolate, littered all over the ground of the roof when I went to pick it up the next day.

**Author's Note: Two in one day, and probably won't be updating this one in a while. Still gotta do The Other Side of Wonderland. Please Review!**


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